Stacking machine



Nov. 9 1926..

A. PODEI- STACKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 2, -1924 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. PODEL.

STACKING MACHINE Nov. 9 1926. 1,605,983

Nav.. 9 1926. 1,605,983

A. PoDEL STACKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 2 1924 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 L io|| o [MMIII Nov 9 1926.

A PODEL sTAcKING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan' 2 A. PODEL STACKING MACHINE Nov. 9 1926.

Filed Jan. 2, 1924 l 8 Sheets-Sheet `6 Nov. 9 1926. v 4 1,605,983

A. PODEL STACKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 2, 1924 8 SheetsSheet '7 Nov. 9 192e.4 v'1,605,983

A. PODEL STACKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 2, 1924 8 SheetsSh'eet'a Aha/mm Padel Patented Nov. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

ABRAHAM PODEL, OF LONG ISLAND *CITY, vNllliW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO ANCHOR CAP AND CLOSUBE CORPORATION, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

srncxme mounts.

Application ledlanuary 2, '1824. Serial No..683,980.

The present invention relates to machines for handling sheet material and more particularly to machines for automatically receiving and stacking sheets of metal or the like.

The general object of the present invention is the provision of a machine adapted to receive sheets of metal, commonly used in the manufacture of containers and covers, from a conve or or the like and to stackthe sheets to faci itate their ready removal from one machine to another with a minimum of manual labor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine properly timed with respect to aconveyor to receive sheets ot material t moving thereon and to place them on a truck or the like.

Another object is to provide a mechanism adapted to receive sheets of tin or the like from a conveyorand to transfer them to a stack supported and maintained at a substantially constant height. with respect to the machine so that the sheets el tin will fall a substantially constant distance, which is as small as possibleu Another object of the invention is to rovide a mechanism in such a machine w ich will utilize the movement ot the conveyor mechanism to maintain the to or the stack plates at a predetermined leve irrespective of the increase in level caused by the additional plates stacked thereon; to do this by rendering ineffective the table lowering i mechanism when the top of the stack of plates has been termined level. v

A further object of the invention is to rolowered beyond a predevide a stacking machine wherein the stac ot plates is automatically lowered to a truck for the ready removal thereof from the machine; to provide an automatic cut out for rendering the lowering mechanism ineective when the table, upon which the stack ol plates rests, is at a proper height to be mounted on the truck.

Further objects of this invention contemplate a machine of the above characteristics, which is of such strong and simple construction and such accurate operation as to insure its proper performance under all conditions commonly encountered in this class of work; to provide a machine which will greatly minimize the amount of labor required in movpanying drawings,

ing sheets of tin or the like from one machine to another either during the making of the tin itself or during its manufacture into marketable articles.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of Yone skilled in the art or become evident upo n the employment of ice.,

lnthe drawings Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the machine;

Figure 2 is embodiment; i

Figure 3 is atop plan view;

Figure t isa detailed end view ci a portion of the machine;

Figure 5 is a cross-section on the line 5-5 of igure 3, showing the details of the clutch mechanism between the conveyor and the stacking machine with certain parts ingelevation;

Figure 6 is a cross-section along the line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure ,7 is a detail view of a portion of the table lowering mechanism;

Figure 8 is a cross-section along the line 8 8 of" Figure 7; Figure 9 is a detail view o t certain parts shown in Figure 'l Figure l0 is a cross-sectional view on line 'l0-10 of Figure 7;

Figure 1l 1s a cross-sectional view along lines lll-l1 of .Figures l and l2 showing the details of the automatic control for the plate supporting means; and

Figure 12 is a detail view of a part of the automatic control for the machine.

In the manufacture of metal caps and containers it is necessary to subject the tin used to several treatments necessitating its passage through various machines; for example, the sheets must be thoroughly cleaned, lacquered, and passed through a series of printing presses, and finally run through the various stamping operations necessary to construct the desired articles. Usually the above steps do not follow conthe invention in prac- Fil) secutively but a considerable period of time 'elapses between each, making it necessary for the great mass of tin not only to be moved from one machine to another, but to be stored frequently in other parts of 'the building. Heretofore in the art it has been customary to manually receive the sheets of tin from a conveyor and place them on a truck. This required at least one man at each machine to receive the sheets and another to move the tin after it was placed on trucks. Obviously this required a great expenditure of labor in addition to other difficulties occasioned by the tin not being evenly stacked.

The present invention eliminates the above disadvantages by providing a stacking machine completel automatic in all its operations. It receives the tin from the usual conveyor, stacks it evenly upon a table adjustable in height and lowers the table on a suitable truck when a redetermined quantity of tin has been p aced thereon. The truck and the table may then be removed and another replaced without ai'ecting the operation of the stacking machine in any manner.

Referring generally to preferred embodiment ofthe machine, these results are accomplished by providing a rigid frame work at the end of a suitable conveyor having collapsible sheet supporting members adapted to receive individual pieces of tin. When properly positioned the sheet of tin is permitted to drop to the stack as these members are collapsed by the conveyor. A suitable table is rovided 'to receive the tin and suitable mechanism is interposed between the table and conveyor to utilize the motion of the conveyor to retain the table at the desired height. ln this manner, the top of the stack is always'slightly below the collapsible members which receive the tin from the conveyor; and the distance the tin drops is always a minimum. Suitable safety devices are attached to the machine to prevent the table from moving beyond certain predetermined positions. Auxiliary supporting members are provided for retaining the tin while the main table is being removed and replaced. Automatic means are provided for controlling the position of the table and the height of the tin while rendering the table lowering mechanism ineffective when the top of the stack drops below a predetermined level. Other advantageous features will appear in the more which are in turn secured to the floor or foundation by means of bolts 7 extendlng throughtheir ends. The upper portions of the upright members are joined by a beam 8, which acts as a brace, and whlch is securely fixed by the bolts 9 to the ends of the upright members. Additional bracing and supporting memlbers 10 are 'securely fixed at the central portions of the upright members by bolts 11. The sup orting members v10 in addition to their ot er functions permit sheets of metal to fall therebetween and also provide suitable supports for the attachment of various mechanisms hereinafter described for the proper automatic operation of the entire machine.

A pair of shafts 12 threaded at their lower end 13 are mounted within the channels of the upright members 4l. rlhe'lower ends of these may extend into the base plate 6 and be mounted on ball bearings as shown at 14 to decrease the friction between the shaftsand the base lates. |lhe upper ends `of the shafts extend) through suitable bearings 15 in the ends of the cross beam 8. A pair of i..shaped members 16 are threaded to the shafts 12 to move upwardly as the shafts are turned. rlhe horizontal portions 17 of the t-members 16 furnish'supports for va table 18 which may comprise a metallic plate or the like upon which the tin or other material is evenly stacked.' A hand wheel .19 having a handle 20 is operatively connected to one of the shafts 12 through the bevel gears 2l and 22 mounted on the shaft 24 and the center of the hand wheel/19 respectively. rllhe table supporting shafts 12 are geared to each other through the shaft 25 by means of having gears 26 and 27 meshing at all times with the bevel gears 28 on the vertical shafts 12. rll`he table 18 can be raised or lowered by means of the hand wheel 19 independently of the operation of the machine. Hand operation is preferable in raising the table to its upper position for receiving sheets of tin and it is frequently utilized in lowering the table upon the truck. Automatic devices are provided for maintaining the table at a proper height to receive the tin. These will e described hereinafter.

While the sheets of tin or other material may be supplied in any suitable manner, the stacking machine herein is shown receiving sheets of tin from a conveyor mechanism of the usual type, a sufficient portion of which is shown to illustrate the application of the present invention to machines and conveyors generally. Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a pair of vertical supports 3() having suitable bearmgs 31 adapted to receive a shaft 32. A pa1r of cog-wheels 34 mounted on. the shaft 32 carry belts or chains 35 having projections 36 adapted to engage the sheets of meta] and move them toward the stacking machine, delivering one sheet of metal per revolution of the cog wheel 34. Suitable pulleys 37 may engage the lower portions of the chains or belts to take up any slack therein. 'lhese pulleys 37 are attached preferably to the vertical supports 3() by means of an arm 38 rotatabv adjustable to vary the tension in the be ts. Supplemental conveyor belts 39 are provided on pulleys 4() mounted on shaft 32 and are adapted to engage the sheets of tin which are moving on the chains and move them at a slightly greater speed than thespeed of the chains in order to move the edges of the respective sheets away from the projections 36 on the chains 35. In case a slight resistance should be encountered such as passing between rollers as the sheets are being removed from the conveyor, suiicient time will be given to prevent the projections 36 from bending the tin, as would be the case if they were in engagement therewith at the time the resistance to the movement of the tin is encountered. The other end of the conveyor mechanism may be similar to the one described and a detailed explanation is unnecessary.

The sheets of tin 42, shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, are carried by the chains 435 and belts 39 to the stacking machine 1,

and moved on the collapsible plates 41 until their forward edges touch the stops 44. The sheets when in this position are ready to be dropped to the stack supporting table 18 between tlfeJ guides 43a by means of coordinated mechanisms about to be described. The height of the stack is automatically controlled `by mechanismel which are shown connected to the conveyor mechanism.

The power for the operation of the stacking machine, may for convenience, be obtained by gearing the various mechanisms to the conveyor shaft 32, by operatively connecting same to the clutch box 45 which is provided with a removable cover 43 and mounted on the supporting members 10. The shaft 32 is permanentlyv attached to shaft 46 in the gear box 45 through interlocking jaws'47. A gear 48 of the clutch is mounted on the shaft 46 and meshes'with gear 49 loosely mounted on shaft 50, which has its end in the form of a jaw 51. A cooperating jaw 52 is formed in the end of the member 54 which is slidably, but not rotatably mounted on the shaft 50. The cooperating jaws 51 and 52 form a clutch for throwing the power on and oft' the stacking machine. A handle 55 rigidly mounted on a guide shaft 56, which is adapted to slide in the bearing 57 and 58, operates this clutch. The lower end of the handle 55 is bifurcated to extend around the power shaft 446 and engage the slidable member 54 on the shaft 5() as shown in Figures 5 and 6 wherein the clutch is disengaged. Suitable notches 59 and 60 are provided in the guide shaft 56 and are adapted to be engaged by resilient retaining members 61 adjustably held in place by threaded screws to positively hold the clutch either in engaged or disengaged position, and thereby eliminate the possibility of the clutch being jarred out of position in any instance.v

The shaft 50 mounted in the bearings 62 landv 64 of the clutch box 45 has a cam 65 rigidly mounted thereon by means of the bolt 66. A cam follower 67 is attached to the reciprocating member 68 by means of the bolt 69. The necessary power for operating the' stacking mechanism is transmltted through cams to the reciprocating member 68 which is slotted at 7() to fit on the shaft 5() and to be guided thereby. A spring 71 retains the cam follower in contact with the cam at all times. The upper end of a lever 72 extending through the reciprocating member 68 is connected to the arm 74, extending from shaft 75, able bolt 76 to oscillate the shaft 75 .continuously during the operation of the stacking machine 1.

rlhe shaft may be mounted in bearings 77 attached to upright members 4 by the bolts 78. Its oscillations operate the collapsible plates 41 through the levers 79 to drop the shee-ts of tin, placed thereon by the conveyor, to the table 18. it will be ob-l served that the levers 79 are connected by short levers extending from collars on the shaft 75 and are likewise connected by short levers on shafts 82 upon which the collapsible plates 41 are mounted. Since a sheet of tin is delivered during each rotation of the cam 65 there is one oscillation of the shafts 75 and 82 during the delivery of each sheet of tin. Accordingly the plates 41 are correctly timed to drop the respective sheets of tin upon their delivery to the stacking machine. l

The shaft 75 is also connected by lever 8() and arm 84, extending from the collar 85 on shaft 75, to arm 86 extending from a. collar 87 loosely mounted on the. shaft 25 operatively connected to the table supporting shafts 12. A pawl 88'mounted on the collar 87 engages an idling gear 89 and a drive gear 90 both mounted upon the shaft 25 to rotate the same at predetermined periods, utilizing the oscillations of the shaft 75. Rotation of the gear 90 lowers the table 18 by turning the shaft 25 and. bevel gears 26 and 27 which mesh with bevel gears 28.

While it' is feasible to drop the sheets of t'n, which are delivered by the conveyor from the collapsible plate 41 to the table 18 which may be mounted on a truck and which may be considerable distance from by asuit! ne I A the colla sible lateit is nevertheless desirable to imit t e istance that the tin is dropped to a minimum. For the automatic control of the'table lowering mechanism associated with the lever 80 and pawl 81 to effect this end there is .provided a pawl 91 n attached to shaft 92 by arm 93 which is in turn mounted in bearings on the extensions 94 and 95. These extensions 94 and 95 are bolted to the brace member 8 and the up right Vmembers 4 respectively. A holder 96 for the pawl 91 is also mounted on the extension 94 to limit the downward movement of the same. The pawl 91 and idler gear 89 control the periods during which the table shaft 97 is'connected by means of lever 99,

collar 100, and s ring 101 associated with the lever 72. 'l e collar 100 is slidably mounted on the lever 72 and is resilientl;

, held in position by the si ring 101 whic rests against the adjustab e nuts 102. As hereinbefore explained, the cam is directly connected to the conveyor mechanism during the operation of the stacking ma chine through the clutch box 45; and it revolves and `reciprocates the reciprocating head 68 continuousl by means of the cam follower 69. The collar 100 mounted on the lever 72 likewise reciprocates rocking the shaft 97 except during the periods in which it is locked in position as hereinafter explained. llt then slides on the lever 72 against spring 101 without oscillating shaft 97, lever 108, and shaft 92 associated there` with.

A locking mechanism for shaft 97 is shown .in ,detail in Figures 11 and 12. llt comprises a lever 104 rigidly mounted on shaft 97 by the lock bolt 105 and connected to a piston 106 adapted to reciprocate in a cylindrical aperture 107 in the supportin member 10. A feeler 108 rotatably mounted on an extension of the supporting member 10 is bolted to a bar 109 mounted in the piston 106. The bar 109 is ordinarily held in extended position b spring 110 resting against the seat 111, an mounted in a cavity 112 formed in the piston 106. During the reciprocatio'n of the piston 106 occasioned by the reciprocation of the shaft 97 resiliently connected-to the lever 72, the piston 106 reciprocates ordinarily with the bar 109 in extended position permitting the stop 115 to remain in its dotted position and thereb offering no impediment to the rocking o shaft 97. But when the tin 42 reaches a level higher than the end of feeler r108 as shown in Figure 11 the feeler engages the tin and prevents the bar 109 from moving with the piston 106, compressing the spring 110, and raises the stop 115 against spring 116 by means of the incline 117 and follower 118. The stop 115 when in raised position, as shown in Figure 11, prevents t e reciprocation of piston 106, which in turn prevents the shaft 97 from rocking. The lever 103 o eratively connecting shafts 97 and 92 is li ewise held in position until the level of the tin has decreased below the level of feeler 108. The pawl 91 controlled by shaft 92 remains stationary and effective to prevent reverse rotation of the idler 89 but it does not during this periodrotate the idler gear. Accordingly the pawl 81 is in operative engagement with the gear 90 and the table 18 is lowered a predetermined amount upon the delivery of each sheet of tin. A frlction collar 120 havin an inner band 121 is mounted on the id er dgear 89 by means of the bolt 122 attache to the brace 8 to revent free rotation ofthe idler gear. uitable nuts 124 for adjustment of the collar 120 are provided.

lft will be noted in the drawings that the idler gear 89 has a small slotted portion 125 without teeth, while the main drive gear has a continuous set of teeth. The awl 81 is wide enough to engage the teet of both the idler gear 89 and the main drive gear 90 and is reciprocated continuously during the operation of the stacking machme. The pawl 91 is reci rocated during the time that the stack of' tln is below the level of the lower end of the feeler 108. Whenever the pawl 81 engages idler ear 89 it disengages from the gear 91 and' te stack of tin ceases to move downwardly. When the pawl 91 is being reciprocated the idler gear is being rotated thereby and the pawl 81 can en age the drive gear 90 only for a very s ort period durmg its movement across the slotted portion 125 of the idler gear 89. Since the portion 125 is fairly small as compared with the circumference of the idler gear the period that the stack of tin islowered is short2 and the distance that the table `is lowered 1s inappreciable in amount. But when the pawl 91 ceases to reciprocate, that is, when the stack of tin is above the end' of the fceler 108 the pawl 81 continues to yrotate the idler gear 89 until it 'reaches the portion 125 at which time it engages and 1'0- tates the gear 90, thereby lowering the stack of tin until the idler gear 89,is again rotated by the reciprocation of the pawl 91,

that is until the stack of tin is below the feeler 108. The stack of tin is accordingly maintairied at a substantially constant height irrespective of the number or thickness of the sheets fed to the machine.

lin certain instances it is desirable to man# ually control the lowering of the stack of tin by rendering the automatic control ineffective. This may be done by the hand throwout 126 mounted on the shaft 25 between the gears 89 and 90. Raising the handle 127 on the throwout 126 shifts a cam surface which raises and renders ineifective the drive pawl 8l. lt also pushes the toggle joint formed by the links 128 and 129 mounted on the extension 94. to the other side of its dead center until it rests against stop 130, also on extension 94. The spring 131 retains the toggle mechanism in the desired position, and the automatic table lowering mechanism is ineffective.

ln order to prevent table 18 upon which the tin is stacked from being lowered to such an extent that a truck cannot be placed under it, rod 132 with a stop 134, adapted to be engaged by the table when it reaches a predetermined lower level, is loosely mounted on the shaft 92 and rigidly connected to the toggle mechanism which. renders the lowering mechanism ineffective. The engagement of the'table with the stop 134 rotates the hand throwout 127 andoperates the toggle mechanism to disengage the table lowering mechanism, as hereinbefore described.

To facilitate the removal of the tin from the stacking machine without interfering with its operation, there is provided temporary stack supporting bars 135 slidably mounted in bearings 136 attached to the supporting members 10. A pair of shafts 137l having gears 138 adapted to mesh with racks 139 on the lower portion of the bars 135 move them into position to receive the tin while the table and stack of tin are being moved. They are` of course, moved out of position and the tin is permitted to drop to the table 18 when replaced. A. hand wheel 143 is connected to one of the shafts 137 by chain 139 cog-wheels 140 and 141. It is connected to the other shaft 137 by shaft 142 and gears 145 and 138. The bars 135 may be moved into and out of position by manually rotating the wheel 143.

In. the operation of the machine sheets of tin are placed upon the conveyor belts 39 and conveyor chains 34 which are moving toward tlle'stacking machine 1. v`When the sheets reach the pulleys 40 the free edge of the tin contacts with the slides upon the collapsible members 41 until it reaches the stops 44. The conveyor mechanism being connected through the clutch box 45 to the cam 65 and the lever 68 the collapsible members 41 are caused to drop permitting the tin to fall upon the table 18 prior to the movement by the conveyor of another sheet upon -to the rise in height of the the collapsible members 41. Preferably the cam 65 makes one rotation during the time the conveyor travels a 'distance equal to the distance between twoprojections 36. As the sheets of tin are successively dropped from the table 18 astack is formed whlch continvthrough the lever 68, shaft 75, and lever to a pawl 81 which is adapted to rotate the shaft 25 by engaging the ratchet gear 90 during each rotation of the cam 65. The lshaft 25 is connected through bevel gears 26, 27, and 28 on the shafts 12 to lower the table a corresponding amount. Due to the fact that tin of diHerent thickness is used at vari ous times the conveyor mechanism and the table lowering mechanism .cannot be so geared that the table moves pile of tin. But on the other hand, the table will become too high or too low in the course of the operation of the stacking machine. There is accordingly provided an idler ear 89 on the shaft 25 and a pawl 91 adapted to engage the'idler gear. This idler gear when rotated renders ineffective the pawl 81 forrotating'the shaft 25. lits operation is controlled by feeler 108 which is responsive to the height of. the stack of tin.V The feeler 108 when it is above the level of the tin permits the shaft 97 to rock and this is communicated to the shaft 92 and the pawl 91 rotates the idler. But when the feeler 108 engages the top of the pile of tin the stop 115 is thrown out from its dottedposition to lock the iston 106 and likewise the shaft 97. Accor lngly the shaft 92 and the pawl 91 ceases to operate and the pawl 81 rotates the idler gear independently of the pawl 91 until the slotted portion 125 is reached, at which time it engages the drive gear rotating the shaft 25 and lowering the table mechanism. When the table has reached its lower limit it engages `tl1e sto 134 on the rod 132 and shifts .the han throwout 126 to render the pawl 81 ine'ective. A truck is then placed under the table 18 4and the table is lowered to the top of the truck by rotation of the hand wheel 19. Before the removal of the stack of tin thus lowered to the truck, the bars 135 are moved inwardl by the rotation of the hand wheel 143 an' shafts 137 to form an auxiliar table to retain the tin until table 18 has been replaced.

lt will be seen that the present invention provides a stacking machine completely automatic in all its operations and one in proportionately Y llo which the humanl element is almost completely removed.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to sheets of metal, it is not intended to be limited to such since it is equally ap .licable to sheets such as paper and the ike and to many other classes of material. The description is totbe taken as illustrative and -not in a limiting sense as the scope of'the invention is defined in the following claims. Havin thus described my invention, whatIcaimis: n Y- A i 1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, means for supplying sheet material, mechanism for receiving and stacking said sheet material, supporting means forA said stack, devices for lowering said supporting means during the stacking operation, and reciprocating means adapted to engage the edges of the sheet at the top of said stack to'render the lowering devices effective.

2. In a machine'of the class described, in combination, a pair of upright members havin shafts associated therewith, devices on sai shafts for supporting a table, a table mounted on said devices, means foirotating said shafts to change the position of said table, means for su plying sheet material to said machine an a pair of members for receiving said sheet material and stacking it on said table.

3. `In a machine of the class described, in combination, a pair of upright members havin shafts associated therewith, devices on sai shafts for supporting a table, a table mounted on said devices, automatic means for rotating said shafts to maintain the top of said stack at a substantially constant level, means for supplyingsheet material to eoA said machine, and mechanism for receiving and stacking said sheet material on said table. l

4. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a pair of upright members, a pair of cross members attached to said upright members to brace same and form a rigid supportin structure, said cross members'having asu stantial space therebetween, and means mounted on said cross members adalpted to be moved into position to form a tab 5. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a pair of upright members, a pair of cross members attac ed to said upright members, means mounted permanently on said cross members and adapted to 'be moved into position to form a table, mechppper ends of said upright members, a bearing ad acent the upper and lower ends of each o said upri ht members, shafts extending through sai channels and mounted in said bearings, a table mounted on said shafts and means for varying the position of said table on said shafts.

7. In .a machine of the class described, in combination, a pair of upright members having their upper ends joined by a cross member, a bearing adjacent the upper and lower ends of each of said upri ht members, vertical shafts mounted in said bearings, a

Atable mounted on said shafts, automatic means for varying the position of said table with respect to said shaft.

8. In adevice of the class described, in combination, a pair of upright members having their upper ends joined by a cross member, a bearing adjacent the upper and lower ends of each of said upright members, shafts mounted in said bearin s, a table mounted on said shafts, a thirr shaft operatifvely connected to said first mentioned shafts to rotate same and thereby change the position of said table, and automatic means cooperating with said third shaft for lowering the table at a substantially constant rate.

9. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a pair of upright members having their ends joined by a cross member, a bearing adjacent the u per and lower ends of each of said uprigiit members, shafts rmounted in said bearings, a third shaft eperatively connected to said other shafts to rotate same and thereb change the vertical position of said tab e, automatic means cooperatin with said third shaft for lowering the tab e at a substantially constant rate, and means adapted to engage material on said table for rendering said autnmatic means effective when said table is at a predetermined level as determined by the height of said material.

10. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a pair of upri lfht members having their upper ends joined bei', a bearing adjacent the upper and lower ends of each of said members, shafts mounted in said bearings, a table mounted on said shaft, a third shaft operatively connected to said first mentioned shafts to rotate same and thereby change the vertical position of said table, automatic means cooperating with said third shaft for lowering the table at a substantially constant rate, and means for rendering said automatic means inef- 1fectilve when sai-d table is at a predetermined eve 11. In a machine of the class described. in combination, a conveyor mechanism for supplying sheet material, a pair of members for receiving said sheet material, means for positioning the sheets on said members, de-

by a cross inemllo ` vices for collapsing said members by controlling t moscas to drop said sheets, supporting means for receiving said sheet material when it is drop ed, and means for changing the vertical height of the supporting means to maintain the distance the sheets are dropped substantially constant. i f

12. In a machine of the class described, in combination, sup rting means .for sheet material, devices or changing the position of said supportingv means a continuously operativev mechanism, lresilient means for connecting said devices and said mechanism, and means engaging the'edges of the sheet material at the upper part of the side of the stack for retaining said devices in a substantially forces exerted b said resilient means theremeans.

in combination, a table for supporting sheet material, devices for chan 'ng the position I of said table to maintain t e upper ortion of the sheet material at a. substantial y consta-nt level, a continuously operative mechanism connected to said devices, and reci roeating means engaging the edges of the s eet material and responsive to its upper level to render said inecha-nism'inelective on said devices intermittently and thereby control the position of said table.

14. ln machine of the class described, in combination, a table for supporting sheet material, devices for changing the position of said table, resilient means vassociated with said devices, a cam for 'ving an oscillatory motion to certain oit sai devices through the intermediation of said resilient means to render said devices ineffective, and means responsive to the level of said sheet material for holding said devices stationary against the pressure applied by said resilient means to permit the continued operation of said devices.

15. lln a machine of the class described, 1n combination, a

conveyor for supplying sheet material, a stacking mechanism, a table upon which said material is stacked, devices for regulating the height of said table to correspond'inversely to the height of the stack, a rotating shaft operatively connected to said conveyor, and having a cam thereon, a lever associated with said stacking mechanism and having a rider thereon cooperating with said cam, said cam being adapted to give an oscillatory movement to said lever, and resilient means for operatively connecting devices to said lever.

16. In' a machine of the class described, in combination, a conveyor for supplying sheet material, a stacking mechanism, a table upon which said material is stacked, devices for regulating the 'height of said stationary position against the e height of said supporting table, a rotating shaft connected to said conveyor and havin a cam thereon, a lever associated with said stacking mechanism and having a rider thereon cooperating with said cam, said cam being adapted to give an oscillatory movement to resilient means for loperatively said devices to said lever, and means responsive to the level of said material to render saidresilient means ineffective. u 17. In va machine of the class described, 1n combination, a conveyor `for suppl ing sheet material, mechanism for stac ing said material, a table for supporting said stack, devices for lowering said table, means for connecting said devices and said mechanism to lower said table a predetermined distance as each sheet is placed upon the stack, and an idler adapted to supplant said connecting means and render said stacking mechanism ineffective on said table lowering mechanism.

18. lln a machine in combination,

connecting of the class described, a conveyor for supplying material, a table for supporting said stack, devices for lowering said table, means conuecting said devices and said mechanism to lower said table a predetermined distance as each sheet is placed upon the stack, an idler adapted to supplant said connecting means and render said stacking mechanism ineffective on said table lowering mechanism, and means responsive to the level of said sheet material for interchanging said connectiner means 'and said idler.

19. n a machine of .the class described, in combination a stacking mechanism for sheet material, means for supporting said stack, devices for controlling the vertical height of said support comprising a gear operativel connecting said supporting means/to ower same upon rotation thereof, an idler associated with said gear, means for operatively connecting said stacking mechanism with said gear to rotate same a predetermined amount as each is placed upon the stack, and means controlled by the level of the to of the stack to connect said stacking mechanism to the idler and thereby render it substantially ineffective on said gear.

20. In a machine of the class described, in combination a stacking mechanism for sheet material, means for supporting said stack, devices for controlling the vertical height of said supporting means comprising a gear operatively connecting said supporting means to lower same upon rotation thereof, an idler associated with said gear, means for `operatively connecting said stacking mechanism with said gear to rotate same a predetermined amount as each sheet is placed on the stack, means controlled by the said lever,

llli

l leveli stacliing mechanism to the idler and thereby `render it substantially ineffective on said gear, and adjustable means for increasing the resistance of said idler to rotation.

Q1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a stacking mechanism I for sheet material, means for su porting said viii stack, devices for changingt e height of said lsup orting means, comprising a gear operative connecting said isup ortm means to ower same upon rotation t ereo an idler associated therewith,'a pawl operatively connecting said stacking mechanism` with said gear to rotate same a predetermined'amount as each sheet is placed on the stack, and means for engaging said pawl with said idler to render it substantially in- Leiiective on said gear.

22. In a machine of the class described, in

combination, means for supporting sheet ci rocating feeler adapted to engage the si e of the stack, said feeler being operative to render said lowering devices ineffective when the top of the stack is too low to be engaged thereby.

24. In a machine of the class described, the combination of means for supplying sheet material, mechanism for receiving and stacking said sheet material, supporting means for said stack, devices for lowering said stack sup orting means, and means engagngl the e ges of the staclzed sheets -to permit said devices to lower said supporting means at one speed when the top of sai stack is above said engaging means and at a slower speed when below it.

25. In a machine of the class described, in combination, means for supplying sheet material, mechanism to receive the respec tive sheets and drop them vertically to a stack, a table for supporting said stack, devices to lower said table, and controlling means for said devices ada ted to engage the side of the-stack to ren er said devices effective.

26. In a sheet handling machine, means forsu porting a stack of sheet material, de-

vices oi' varying the height of said supporting means, and a horizontal reciprocating feeler located at the side of the stack adapted to engage the edges ofthe sheets at the top of said stack to control said devices.

of the top of the stack to connect said 27. In a sheet handling machine, means for su porting a stack of sheet material, de-

vices or varying the height of said supportin means, mechanism adapted to render said devices ineffective, and means comprising a reciprocating feeler adapted to en- I28. In a sheet handling machine, means for su porting a stack of sheet material, de-y vices or varying the height of said supporting means, mechanism adapted to render vsaid devices ineffective, and a horizontally reciproc'atin feeler, said feeler being adaptl ed to lock said mechanism upon engagement with the side of the stack to permit said devices to vary the height of said supporting means. l

29. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a pair of upright supporting members, a air of horizontal bracing members attache to said upright members, a vertically adjustable table, means :tor receiving and stacking sheet material on said table, and a plurality of bars mounted in said bracing members and adapted to be moved horizontally into osition to form a temporary table for holding the sheet material while said iirst mentioned table is being moved.

30. In a sheet handling machine, the combination of a table for supportin sheet material a pawl adapted to change ti of said table,a reciprocating lever adapted to operate said pawl'to move said table continuously, devices to render said pawl ineffective, resilient means on said lever adapted -to operate said devices, and mechanism res onsive to the hei ht ,of said sheet material or rendering sai resilient means ineffective.

31. In a sheet handling machine in combination, a table for sup orting sheet material, a pawl adapted to cliange the position of said table, a reciprocating lever adapted to operate said pawl, a continuously rotating shaft haviner a collar thereon adapted to reciprocate said5 lever, a collar mounted on said lever, resilient means for holding said collar in position, devices operatively coneiiective when said collar reciprocates with said lever, and means responsive to the level of said sheet material for locking said collar in position.

32. In a machine of the class described, in combination a conveyormechanism for supplying sheets of tin and the like a pair of members to receive said sheets individually, devices to collapse said members to drop individual sheets therebetween, a supporting table for receiving saidsheets when e position iiected to said 'collar to render said pawl infeeler in combination,

v stacking 'said sheet the combination Leonesa.

dropped,` and automatic means for changing the height of said table to maintain the "top of the stack at a substantially constant level.

33. In a machine of the class described,

a pair of upright supporting'members, bracing members attached to said upright members formin a rectangular spaceto accommodate a stac of sheet material, collapsible members mounted on said bracing members and adaptedl to receive sheets, means for colla sing said members when a sheet is delivere thereto, and a table for receiving and supporting the sheets dropped by said colla sible members.

34.' In a machine o the class described, the combinationpf means for supportin sheet material, mechanism for receiving and stacking said sheet material, devices for lowering said supporting. means, a feeleradapted to be reciprocated into engagement with the side of the stack to control said lowering devices.

35. ln a machinev of the class described,v the combination of means for supportingsheet material, mechanism for receiving an material, devices for lowering said supporting means, and a adapted to be reciprocated horizontally over the top of said stack to the upper edge thereof when above a predetermined level to control the lowering devices, saicleeler permitting the sheets oitl material torfall vertically upon the topfof the stack. f

of means for supportin sheet material, mechanism for receiving an means for said stack, devices'ffor operation',

engage y l at one speed when the top o `36. In a machine of the class described,

stacking' said sheet material, supporting' owering said supporting means during the stacking and a feele'r"adap ted to'engage the edges of .the sheets at the top of said stack to render the lowering devlces eifective when the to of the stack, is above a predetermined leve and adapted to pass across the top of the stacky to render the loweringv devices ineffective when the top is below a predetermined level. y y

37. In a sheet handling machine, the 'combination of a'. pair of upright members having their upper ends joined by a cross memn mounted in said bearin a table mounted on said shafts, a thir shaft operatively connected to said first mentioned shafts to rotate same and thereby change the position of said table, and automatic means cooperating with said third shaft for changing the position of said table at a substan-tlally constant rate.

38. ln a sheet handling machine, the combination .of means for handling sheet material, means :torsupporting a stack of sheet material adjacent said sheet handling means, devices for changing the position of said supporting means to c of said stack, and means engagin the edges of the stack sheets to permit sai devices to change the height of said sup said stack is above the level of said engaging means, and at a slower speed when below it.

' ABRAHAM 'PODEL ange the height orting means ofthe stack 1 i ber a bearing adjacent the upper and lower e ds of each of said upright members, shafts' 

